Reservations

Statement of Significance

The prime significance of Oregon Caves’ Chateau lies in its designer’s extraordinarily creative use of the limited building site and how he allowed the site to dictate major architectural choices. Inseparable from that is the extremely high integrity of the building, the furnishings and the site. Of local significance is the importance of the development of Oregon Caves, fostered by local businessmen who formed the Oregon Caves Company- the monument’s concessionaire-to stimulate the depressed economy in the area.

Today’s visitor to the Chateau is still enchanted by the rustic sense of place that the builder and the landscape architects created. Entering the area is very much like traveling back into the 1930s. Trout still swim in the pools. The Chateau is more weathered, but the furnishings are entirely original. Even the smell of the aging fiberboard wall panels inside the Chateau contributes to that undeniably nostalgic feeling.

The Chateau is operated by Oregon Caves Outfitters providing services critical to the use and enjoyment of the Oregon Caves National Monument, supporting education and respecting the history and diverse natural beauty of this unique environment while giving our guests the best in service and hospitality.

Oregon Caves Outfitters is part of the Illinois Valley Community Development Organization (IVCDO), a 501(c)(3) non-profit, working to improve economic and social conditions in Oregon’s rural southwest through programs designed to enhance the standard of living, create jobs and encourage sustainable community development.